Bleach: A Dystopian Future
by ThatScarfGuy
Summary: 20,000 years have passed... The human world has changed, terrifying whispers come from beyond the Gates of Hell, and... in the depths of the Soul Society, an old enemy stirs
1. Intro

_**Blood spattered onto the marble floor, marring the pure white surface with a dark crimson taint. A woman fell to that selfsame floor, a primal cry of unspeakable rage was uttered and in a cataclysmic collision, two blades met, darkest black on the very purest white. For a moment, in a scene that seemed to last an age, light met shadow.**_

_Or so the legend goes…. 20,000 years later, that battle has descended into the realms of myth, a myth of a Golden Age in the history of the Soul Society where a lone individual clashed with the fabled Soul King, attempting to bring an end to his plans of destroying and recreating the Soul Society anew. The result of this battle remains a mystery to this day, and the gates of heaven have repelled any attempt to enter._

_The results of this battle, though unknown, were still felt for ages to come. Devastated by the Soul King's war, the Soul Society fell into chaos, revolts erupting among many sectors of the Rukongai as the distinct lack of Shinigami became increasingly apparent. In the meantime, as the Soul Society was ravaged by the aftermath of a million years of decadence, the Human Realm was left undefended. _

_Seizing upon this unprecedented opportunity, Vasto Lorde, having hidden themselves deep in the depths of the menos forest of Hueco Mundo, beings so ancient and powerful that had not even been stirred in their slumber by the invasion of the Vandenreich woke, and, in a heartbeat, war came to the Earth . It was the unholy crusade that turned the human world into a living hell, hollows descending in their millions from huge rifts in the sky, tore open by the Menos, the Vasto Lorde themselves tearing the sky asunder. _

_The Terror that came unseen, hollows came like locusts, feasting on the terrified humans… it has been said that humans fear most what cannot be seen, this could not have been any truer in this case. There were those who resisted of course, those who knew of the unthinkable horror that had descended on their world. An alliance of Fullbringers and Quincy led by the fabled Uryu Ishida fought tooth and nail against the hollow invasion, fighting against their inescapable fate._

_But, as is so often true in these matters, their noble effort failed, Uryu himself cut down at the end, seconds away from killing the leader of the Vasto Lorde. As such… hope faded and darkness covered the Earth, humans existing only as simple sport for hollows. This was surely the end of days._

_For almost 19,000 years, this was the state of affairs, a dark age in both the Soul Society and the Human World, the balance of souls itself threatening to bring about the apocalypse as more and more spirits were feasted upon by Hollows, becoming those selfsame Hollows that had earlier devoured them. The human civilization of old had been torn apart, humanity reverting to a more basic state, so that they could hide from the Hollows, so that they could survive._

_That was when the Senkaimon opened once more… the Shinigami, had spent millennia rebuilding their Soul Society, having been blessed with Shinigami of unnatural talent. They arrived as divine angels, purging the Hollows from the world of man. The small number of Vasto Lorde were unable to stand against the numbers and might of the newly assembled Gotei 13, and retreated back to their lair in the forests of the menos. There they waited, biding their time, knowing that they would descend once more to feast upon the feeble hearts of men._

_However, interaction between the Shinigami and Humans had been irrevocably changed, under the harsh rule of the Hollow menace, humanity had developed an almost worldwide sense of spiritual awareness… the days where Shinigami could pass unnoticed in their duties was over. In a sense, humanity had regressed to a more basic state of affairs, technology was all but forgotten, humanity congregating in one haven where they had learnt to defend themselves against the spiritual, the massive influx of spiritual energy giving birth to powers blooming across the entire human race, Quincy and Fullbringer alike. This haven was an island to the east… a land once called Japan._

_And so, 1000 years passed, humanity slowly beginning to repopulate, remaining however, in a medieval state, the superstitious believing that progress itself caused their fall. The Shinigami have returned to their former glory, having rebuilt after millennia of one civil war after the other. All is at peace…. or so it seems._

_However, worrisome events have been happening of late. There have been rumors of movement in Hueco Mundo, around the long abandoned castle of night, Las Noches… The Gates of Hell have been appearing at an unnerving rate…. And, unbeknownst to the Shinigami… an ancient enemy stirs within the depths of the Soul Society… an enemy sealed away thousands upon thousands of years ago. _

**Authors Note: Yay first story, even if it is only an intro ^^**

**As you probably have gathered, this is going to be pretty different from the norm, so don't really expect many in-series characters… though I may include a few in some shape or form. Anyways, I'll try to upload chapters on a somewhat regular basis…. Soooo hope you enjoy **


	2. Chapter 1: A Drunken Encounter

**Soul Society, the innermost Rukon District **

Of all the districts in the Rukongai, the first had suffered the least in regards to the wrath of the Shinigami when they turned the tides of the notorious Rukon Rebellions, where Pluses seeking to improve their lot revolted against the rule of the Shinigami. Junrinian was the closest district to the Seireitei, and as such, had served as somewhat of a base to the Shinigami, to whom many of the districts residents were kindly disposed.

As such, there were a great deal many drinking bars and, if you went into one of the lesser known operating near the edge of the district, you would almost always be guaranteed to find a certain Shinigami drinking there, the stench of drink clinging to him like his own unshaven facial hair. The name of this man was Sakamoto Koike… Were he in the human world, one might have put his age in to his early 20s, with a face that could have once been considered handsome, were it not for the lank, greasy hair framing it, with deep, dark rings suggesting a severe lack of sleep, and the rough scar that ran across his forehead.

Even though he was clearly a Shinigami, another word people could have easily used to describe him was bum, and as such, people were more than happy to stay out of his way, leaving him sitting in the corner of the building, occasionally getting up from the small table to stumble across to the bar, perpetuating his drunken state with increasing amounts of sake. However, were one to actually pay attention to him, they might notice a certain something about him… an certain air about him that implied a greater depth than just a simple drunk, a feeling of sadness almost. It was as if he had taken the phrase "Drinking away your sorrows" deeply to heart, and that he did with aplomb.

It was then that the woman entered the bar, throwing open the rather delicate doors with considerable force. The lady in question was rather striking, for example, she was very tall, standing slightly higher than most men, an had a somewhat angular face, with swept back hair cascading down her back, the blueish silver hue glimmering in the dim light. But the most noticeable thing one would notice about her was the white haori she wore over the standard garb of a Shinigami, signifying her as a captain of the Gotei 13. Piercing brown eyes swept the room, and landed on the drunken Sakamoto, as he made his way shakily to the bar once more. Seemingly having found what she was looking for, she made her way to the bar, positioning herself in front of the shambling drunk.

Mio Kohaku was the newly appointed captain of the 10th Division, and understandably, was somewhat annoyed to find that member of the squad had been missing when she had addressed the division for the first time. Her interest had been piqued when she had asked about this Sakamoto… people seemed careful, nervous even when speaking of him; almost as if they were attempting to protect him. This image however, was not what she would have thought when seeing the selfsame man in the flesh… surely her own squad members weren't this protective of a simple drunkard? Clearing her mind, she cleared her throat noticeably.

"I assume you are Sakamoto Koike?" She asked, a serious tone to her voice. Sakamoto however, did not registed the tone, and was stirred from his semi-conscious state.

"Huh?" he muttered, looking up from the empty sake cup and, hidden depths or not, he was utterly drunk…. So drunk in fact, that he didn't even notice the captain's haori that Mio wore. As such, he acted as the majority of drunks would when faced with a woman. "*Hic* Hey there beautiful, wanna have shum fun?"

To the others in the bar, it happened in an instant, the only warning being Sakamoto begin to move his arm towards his face. Then he went flying, blood streaming from his nose, crashing through the wall of the establishment, and smashed into the dusty ground outside, unconscious. Silence engulfed the bar; it was rare to see such a direct show of a captain's strength, more so in recent times of peace. Jumping lightly after him, Mio grabbed him by the color of his hakama, pausing only to offer the barkeeper compensation for the hole in his wall, then setting off, dragging the inert form of Sakamoto through the streets, heading towards the Seireitei.

**The Squad 10 Barracks**

Mio collapsed into the comfortable leather chair she had placed by her desk. Somehow, after dragging that oaf Sakamoto back to the barracks, she had no desire to be confronted with masses of paperwork. Life as a captain was surely proving to be more difficult, and fairly different than what she had been expecting.

She leant back, her mind going over the events of earlier that day. That Sakamoto, even though he appeared to be a drunken oaf, there was something more to him, she knew it. First of all, how the others seemed to clam up when talking about him, saying as infuriatingly little as possible about him. Angrily, she cursed to herself, she was captain as if she didn't have a right to know about her squad, what right did they have to keep her from knowing?! As if she didn't have enough to worry about thanks to the worrying reports she had been getting recently without having to worry about stability in her new squad.

And then there was that other matter. Back in the bar, her punch had undoubtedly been effective, no wasted motion, a clean strike to his nose, however, at their respective levels, not to mention how incredibly drunk he had been, Sakamoto shouldn't have even seen her attack coming, let alone begin to react to it. And yet, defying all plausibility, he had attempted to block.

Yes… she decided, looking through her papers, there was something undoubtedly strange about Sakamoto… and she would find out what.

Alright, that's the next chapter up, hope you enjoy

I would write a longer AN, but its nearly midnight here, as such G'night


	3. Chapter 2: Hidden Depths

**The Squad 10 Barracks**

Within the dark brown wooden walls of the squad 10 barracks, there lay an inert figure. As time passed, a couple of scrawny members of the 4th division filtered in, washing the filth from the man's face, dispelling the perpetual smell of Sake that seemed to cling to him. They later began work on his nose, which could quite simply be described as flattened. They did wonder what this guy had done to aggravate the captain of the 10th squad so, as a result of her devastating punch; his nose now ran nearly parallel to his face, dried blood seemingly erupting across the lower half of his face.

Eventually, the attendees left the room and, robbed of their incoherent chatter, the room fell into silence. This however, wouldn't last long, as a colossal groan shattered the quiet atmosphere as Sakamoto regained consciousness.

Shakily, he sat up in rather basic bed he had been given, massaging his temples as he was wracked by one of the worst headaches he had experienced in a long while, a combination of a long overdue hangover, and the punch he had received from the captain.

"Damn…" He muttered, to nobody in particular, his voice strained "Just how long has it been since I was properly sober? Must have been at least a week"

Sakamoto fell back into the bed with a dull thud, the first clear thoughts he had had in a while beginning to filter through his mind. Slowly, he began to observe his surroundings. All in all, his room was devoid of any warmth… Except for one splash of unexpected colour, unable to focus his vision in his sluggish state, he could only perceive it as a dash of bright purple against against a bland, brown background. Sakamoto narrowed his eyes, his vision sharpening, it was, he realized, a flower. It was a flower that was all too familiar to Sakamoto…

Suddenly his headache came back in full force, and with it, a multitude of images long buried came rushing into to foreground of his mind. Memories of a better time, memories of a black haired woman…. and memories of death.

He vaulted out of his bed, arm sweeping around in the direction of the flower, sending it, and the vase it was in crashing down to the ground, breaking apart into a multitude of shards. Pausing only to put on his shinigami clothes, and to tie his hair back into a long ponytail, he stormed out of the room.

"I _really_ need some fresh air"

**The Human World, Japan**

To look at it, one would most probably describe the building as a palace; it was a massive, white, rectangular building, with turrets rising from each corner, tinted glass windows adorning each side. However, if one were to look closely, it had the look of a hospital about it. This was the official residence of the Ishida family, those Quincy who were descended from the fabled leader of the humans in days long gone. These descendants formed a large part of society's elite, and were also responsible for training the newest generation of quincy.

It would be with some surprise then, which people would look at the heir to Ishida legacy. It would be expected, of course, that he would be incredibly proficient on the art of the bow, as was his heritage. However, even though he had above average skills in archery, Ryota Ishida never devoted any extra time to those skills, instead focusing more on the aspect of combat using the Seele Schneider, as he felt a need to be able to hold his own in close combat. However, viewing him as a prodigy, his teachers were disappointed by that lack of effort he put into his archery, and had extended his normal training time in that area.

This was where he was right now, in the underbelly of the Ishida residence, honing his skills. Ducking under the swipe of a dummy hollow, he flexed his left hand, a cross shaped pendant gripped in his palm. Millions of bright blue spirit particles rushed towards the pendant, like moths to a flame, creating substance out of nothing. The dummy careered backwards, emitting a keening wail, as blue light pierced its mask. Ryota now held an ornate bow in his left hand; ebony strips of wood twisting around a deeply dark blue shaft, which in turn was adorned by a black quincy cross.

Sensing the appearance of three more dummies, Ryota sighed. He really was getting tired of training this late at night.

"Tscheh….. I guess I might as well show the old geezers something" He grumbled, blue light swirling around his hand as he created an arrow. "Maybe this'll get them to lay off me about practicing with this thing"

Turning around nonchalantly, he nocked his arrow, drawing it back, savouring the climax of the shot. In a flash, he let the arrow go, flying towards the dummy in the middle, with eyes akin to an eagle, he tracked the shot and, when it was half of the distance from the hollow, he enforced his will upon the fabric of the reishi that made up the arrow. There was a hiss, and the arrow split into a myriad of reishi shards, tearing through the dummies with phenomenal force, leaving nothing but the faintest trace that they had existed in the first place.

Flexing his arms, Ryota looked upwards and yelled, even though there was nobody to be seen "That good enough old timers!?" A line appeared in the apparently solid stone, and parted, revealing a corridor. Grinning, Ryota strode towards the opening, convinced that he'd get some rest for once.

**The Squad 10 Barracks**

Mio walked calmly into the room Sakamoto was supposed to be resting, as she had been intending to question him about the nature of his past. Instead, she found bed sheets scattered over the floor and the remnants of a vase. In-between those fragments lay a purple flower with a drooping head, a pasque flower, which was strange, as she couldn't recall seeing any flowers when she had dragged Sakamoto into the room.

Questioning the 4th squad attendees, she discovered that it had been placed there by a man fitting the description of the 2nd division lieutenant, which was confounding, to say the least. Why would someone from the shady 2nd division, the lieutenant at that come here… It only deepened the mystery surrounding Sakamoto. In fact, when she thought about it, the Pasque flower was the symbol of the 2nd division, and it obviously had some meaning to Sakamoto.

Sighing, she realized that she would have to sacrifice a fair amount of time in unraveling the mystery that lay at the heart of this member. However, she was still determined to do so. She had to be certain of the squads unity and, if she had been correct about the man's latent skill, she would have acquired a valuable asset in the times ahead, which were rapidly beginning to descend into a worrying situation.

**…..**

Flames danced… and screams pierced the air. Lightning boomed, illuminating a figure, standing by a gate…. A grin contorted scaled crimson flesh, yellowing fangs protruding painfully from rotten, pitch black gums.

_"Time to have some fun..."_

**AN**

Alright, the plot thickens :P… The idea for Ryota's attack has been floating around my head for a while now, originated from Hyapporankan, the binding kido Hisagi used.

I will try to update weekly, but school has become somewhat taxing of late, last month before grades are handed in, and my teachers are doing their level best to overload our brains with a variety of exams, essays and presentations before then, so I might take some time with the next few chapters.


	4. Chapter 3: A Shark of a Man

**The Human World, Karakura Town**

„You really ought to train your skills in archery more Ryota…"

Ryota sighed, he was sitting in a white, somewhat soft sofa, while the older quincy, those responsible for training exercises. And they were still spouting the same old drivel that they had been force-feeding him for years on end, something he was quite simply sick of. Even his little display earlier had done little to quell their prattle; on the contrary, it had merely prompted them to nag at him with renewed vigour, instead using his display as an example of what he could achieve if he only applied himself properly… Now he had to sit there and listen to old men who knew nothing blather on about pointless topics… the uselessness of his close combat training, his value to the quincy, how he shouldn't be associating with those of unpure status… the list went on and on…

"… and really, the practicalities of such as move against a more powerful opponentare somewhat lacking. It seems that it would only really seem to slow such a foe down-" They got no further as Ryota sighed loudly and got up, sighing as he did so.

"Tscheh….. You do know I just completed that training exercise, don't you? Perhaps it'd be better to lecture me when I've actually failed or disappointed you in a reasonably disastrous way." He turned, walking out of the room, the others silent due to his audacity. "Anyways" He muttered, half to himself "Seeya."

**The Gardens of the 10th Division**

One of the more obscure facts about the late captain of squad 10 was his intense obsession for gardening. It is said that in his final years, he spent many hours tending to the small plot of land that he owned by the barracks, cultivating it into a beautiful spectacle, a splendorous array of brilliant yellow daffodils transforming the outer edge of the barracks into a beauteous scene, the sun's golden light cascading overhead, reflecting off the daffodils in a myriad different ways.

This was where Mio often found herself coming to in recent weeks. The soothing nature of the garden relaxed her, often helping her in finding clarity when her thoughts were troubled… A state of mind all too familiar to her these days, with the situation in Hell, and the mysteries of Sakamoto…

"Damn!" she cursed, through gritted teeth. It was just typical of her life to throw so many complications her way just when she had achieved the rank of captain that she had worked so hard for. It quite simply frustrated her to the bone.

Interrupting her moment of introspection, a voice surprisingly soft spoke…

"Something on your mind, my dear?"

**Karakura Town**

Ryota sighed, leaning back on a park bench, watching the stars pass by in the dark night sky. He was really beginning to get tired of those old men telling him what to do… He would probably have left the family, were it not for the fact that he knew that his brother would likely discipline him on his return from the talks with the Fullbringers in Naruki City… suppressing a shudder, he turned his mind to more pleasant things…

"Hello there, my Quincy friend!" A cheerful, yet weirdly pitched voice rang out across the empty park, as if somebody had distorted an elephant's bellow. Ryota grinned, instantly recognizing the voice, indeed the perfect person he knew for "more pleasant things"

"Hey there Xing" Ryota straightened, sitting up to greet the new arrival. In front of him stood a thickly man in his early 20s, features hinting at a vague oriental heritage, possibly originating from the mainland, possibly the land once known as China. He wore his hair in one long braid reaching to his knees, and had a thick, matted beard, both of which were dyed an alarming shade of pink. The most curious thing about this man however, was the strange ring that he wore on the middle finger of his right hand, in which there was set a dark gem, fastened by silver clasps. If someone were to stare deeply into the gem, they would feel drawn into it's very essence, losing themselves amongst the darkness of the seemingly bottomless object. "You do know that people might take you more seriously if you actually talked in a normal voice?"

"Heh, I don't recall a time where I've needed people to take me seriously…. People make do, as they always will…"

"True enough, you fullbringers always seem happy enough with your lot in life…. I wish the same could be said for us Quincy…" He said… a strong tone of wistfulness in his voice..

Xing smiled emphatically, placing his hand on Ryota's shoulder "Don't worry about it… You Quincy aren't all that bad… they have you, see?"

**Squad 10**

Mio turned rapidly, hair whipping across the wind, her right hand falling instinctively to the hilt of her zanpaktou. From the corner of the garden, where the wall of the barracks met a wood fence, a solitary figure emerged from the shadows, holding up his hands in mock surrender, a daffodil held by the stem between his fingers.

"Now now… I mean you no harm… I simply feel it is in my interests to see what could perturb a fellow captain so…."

Realization dawned upon Mio as the figure strode easily into the light, revealing a well built man, his blonde tinged brown hair swaying across his face in the breeze… She knew of this man, his habit of wearing his captain's haori loosely over his right shoulder like a cloak distinguishing him from the other captains. She relaxed her grip on her zanpaktou, though a keen observer would notice the wariness in her stance. She had heard disturbing rumours about this one….

"I don't believe that we've been formally introduced" She said, keeping her tone level.

"Oh my, have I not given you my name? How _terribly _rude of me" A smile flitted across his face, reminding Mio of the way a shark would look at it's prey. "I am, as I'm fairly sure you're aware, the captain of the 11th division, known as Kenpachi, Kenpachi Tsubasa… However, a beautiful lady such as yourself…. You may call me Yushi."

"Enchanted I'm sure…" Mio muttered dryly "Now if we could cut to the chase, _Tsubasa_…. You can tell me why you are here."

Yushi recoiled in mock horror, the selfsame shark smile staying upon his face. "What are you implying? That I, an esteemed captain would have no business paying a social visit to a fellow captain? Oh my….. How hurtful." He took a half step forwards, and Mio immediately stepped back, keeping her eyes locked firmly upon him. "You are however correct….. In my case, one such as I does hear certain…." he paused, seemingly relishing every word he spoke "Rumours shall we say, of a rather feisty female captain tracking down and summarily knocking out a truant squad member…. She even dragged him all the way back to the barracks… imagine that? One must admit that a certain interest is warranted in such a situation…. Especially when the truant in question had achieved a certain infamy many years ago….."

That certainly grabbed the attention of Mio, ignoring her earlier wariness, she forcefully stepped forwards, her face mere centimeters away from that of Yushi's. "What do you know of Sakamoto?!"

The smile widened, if that were possible… "What do I know?" He asked playfully… "Oh… this and that, rumours mainly… I wouldn't want to be the one to inform you falsely. However, I believe I can give you some small advice on the matter…. Simply remember this… the vacancy that you filled isn't the only one of it's kind."

Mio's mouth formed a perfect "o" as comprehension dawned… The one other vacancy for a captain's position had been left untaken for many years, before she had even graduated from the Academy…. The 2nd division.

"You mean….." she muttered, half to herself… a thousand different possibilities rushing through her head

"If I were you, it wouldn't be me I'd be asking captain… ask yourself this, what is better, a second hand account? Or first hand? And who would best be able to answer such a question?"

"Sakamoto…." Mio turned, and begun to walk away

"Wait right there captain!" Yushi called, his voice a sibilant whisper. Suddenly he appeared in front of her, blade flashing out of the sheath and sweeping towards Mio in a dangerous arc. Caught off guard, Mio barely had the time to draw her blade, stopping the blow just before it would have reached her, the very force of the blow sending her skidding backwards.

"What the _hell _do you think you're doing Tsuba-"

"Take my advice" He interrupted "Challenge him to a duel, there is nothing quite like a clash of two zanpaktou to determine truth…. I can already feel the doubt in your blade." Ignoring Mio's angry outburst, he vanished suddenly, leaving only a lifeless daffodil and his last words floating in the air.

"_I'll be watching, I'm sure your prowess will be quite exquisite…"_

**AN: Yaay… finally got a new chapter up… apologies for the wait, at least the majority of my schoolwork is finished now , sadly the next releases for the next couple of months will still be somewhat irregular, moving country which should prove to be somewhat of a hassle**

**Anyways, back onto the topic of the story, I'm really enjoying writing Yushi, I felt like going for a different feel that what would be considered the norm for a Kenpachi and it's working out pretty well in my opinion.**

**Thanks to everyone for the positive reviews so far, and I hope you enjoy! ^^**


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